The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-23
THE GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION.

The investigation into the drawing Of the
grand jury of the Criminal Court is not without
its instructive features and results, though
nothing was developed to fasten the suspicion
that ways that are dark and tricks that were not
vain were INDUCED in TO bring about the COM
position of jury at this particular Juncture
of such remarkable political complexion One
of the instructive things developed was that
the new law does not, in its administration,
give an inn partial and fair jury; another is,
that persons whose names the commissioners
do not know were ever in the jury-box are, by
some mysterious process, drawn out,
and, as in this case, such an event
the most opportune for an indicted gang, one
of whom may DE in charge of the box, the
qualities of which seem not unlike those of
the magician's bottle, that gives out whatever
the coniurer desires. That an almost similar
state of affairs once transpired in Hendricks
county does not lessen the popularity of the
drawing or reduce the possibilities of the
jury-box in the hands of an expert juggler.
The most charitable excuse for this particular
instance is to refer it to what De Quincy
called the total depravity of inanimate things.
Certainly nothing less than total depravity
somewhere will account for a grand jury OF
five Democrats and one Greenbacker at
time when their principal duty was to inquire
ization has made its own.
But the most instructive and valuable re-
suit Of the investigation lies in the fact that
the court determined for itself to make an
inquiry into rumors and suspicious that
affected the integrity of the administration of
justice. How the judge came to the conclu-
sion that be had the power to do this now,
bat did not have it weeks and months ago,
when it was brought to his attention that GER
tain members of the grand jury were convey
ing information out of the jury room to men,
bers or friends of the gang whose crime they
were investigating, and that one juror, at
least, absolutely declined to hear any of the
evidence, but afterwards voted upon the
question of returning indictments, is
not specially pertinent in the light of
yesterdays proceedings. The judge then
thought he had no power to do anything, and
the significance Of yesterdays work is. that
Judge Irving has found way to protect his
court from illegality and from the acts of
agents who defy or violate the law their
oaths. This is distinct gain, and BODIES no
good to scoundrels for whose terror the court
was instituted. The investigation will have
a tendency to clarity the atmosphere Of the
court, and serves notice to various classes of
people that the court has power to vindcate
the law and establish Justice. Now if the
court will take up some of the fagitious cases
of law -defying and law-breaking
the part Of the liquor lords, and if
the jury returns verdict ridicu-
lously below the law and the evidence,
annul the verdict and dismiss the jury with
blister that will stick to them for the balance
of their natural lives, the next jury will see
that the law breakers are adequately punished,
and the Criminal Court will go up in the
estimation OF the people 100 per cent, and
will fall in corresponding ratio in the opinion
of those who have openly boosted that it is a
refuge from the penalties inflicted in the
Mayors Court. Let the laws be enforced.
That is the demand of the people, and it is
the lesson of all recent events.